Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

"Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai" (『僕は友達が少ない』, lit. "I Don't Have Many Friends"), also known as "Haganai" (『はがない』), is a Japanese light novel series.

Overview

The series is written by Yomi Hirasaka, illustrated by Buriki, and published by Media Factory BunkoJ. The series has been adapted into a TV anime series and is currently airing in Japan.

Aside from the light novel, there are currently two manga adaptions currently serializing : the similar title, with its title and basic plot unchanged, began serialization in 2010, written and illustrated by Itachi and published in Monthly Comic Alive. A second adaptation with a different story, written by Misaki Harukawa and illustrated by Shouichi Taguchi, was called Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai + and published in Jump Square.

The anime adaptation for the show is animated by AIC Build and began airing in October 2011. With the anime character designs done by Yoshihiro Watanabe, and directed by Hisashi Saito.

A game adaption of the same title is set to release in 2012.

"Unfortunate Girls" (lit.) as the concept

One of the main concept of this novel is the inclusion of girls with disappointing personalities on most standards. While they might look like character with moe factors, their personalities are however the complete opposite and filled with vulgarities, which ironically follows the title of the story : they have little friends because of their attitude.

Regardless, while the character settings may at first treated as an anti-thesis/put-off to the usual moe factor, the fans regard that vulgarity as one of the moe elements of the show, and thus boosted the popularity of the series.

Synopsis

Kodaka Hasegawa is a recent transfer student to St. Chronica's Academy, a Catholic high school. As with every other school he has ever attended, he finds it difficult to make friends there because of his naturally-blond hair (inherited from his deceased English mother) and fierce-looking eyes, which make him look like a dangerous "yankee" to his prejudiced schoolmates.
One day, Kodaka accidentally comes across the equally solitary and very abrasive Yozora Mikazuki while she converses with her imaginary friend Tomo. Realizing that neither of them have any social lives, they decide that the best way to improve their situation is to form a club – the Neighbor's Club – precisely intended to make friends and learn social skills.

Five other members soon join the club, starting with the school's well-connected but arrogant idol Sena Kashiwazaki, who has no female friends of her own because of their jealousy over her many male admirers. The next to join is Yukimura Kusunoki, a feminine underclassman of Kodaka's who rather idealizes him and follows him in the hope that it will teach him to become manlier. Maria Takayama is a 10-year-old genius teacher and nun at the academy whom Yozora recruits to become the club adviser. Rika Shiguma is an underclassman and well-known scientific genius with fujoshi tendencies who joins the club after Kodaka rescues her from a laboratory accident. Finally, Kodaka's younger sister Kobato is in St. Chronica's middle school division and is a fan of Gothic anime.